Carlton SWT

 Species list for the day was 28, nothing remarkable but with still some lingeri9ng migrants. The best bird was a TREEVREEPER but small stuff flying with LAPWING was unidentifiable. Good to see just one SNI[PE and four REDSHANK. I suppose the real stand out animal was a BLOODY NOSED BEETLE. It seems that they cannot fly but hang around slow moving on the deck. No surprise that this is what this job was doing.

It's autume folk's.

 With the night's pulling in, things are on the change. Sure enough the first three GADWALL were back on sight, but as we consider this fact SWALLOWS, HOUSE and SAND MARTINS where feeding well over the lake. But with 23 species and a first CETTI'S WARBLER for the year we stand bacl and let the year move on.

So what is there to rant about? No dout there are big issues in regards to the enviroment and esspecially as some still hold there is not such a thing as CIMATE CHANGE. Well in my life I have seen things change. I suppose this is not considered as evidence byt my first sigting of GREAT WHITE EGRET was back in 1962 at Abberton Resevoir in Essex. Only today at Minismere nine were seen and last winter near my home in one night 17 GWT roosted. As for the amount of birds and the rarety level of some of the birds of the past is not realised. OK rare birds are seen more because of social media. Which gives so many people theoppotunity of seeing what turns up. Good or bad perhaps is not the issue. What is sadley is that what was common to me as a young man is not the case now. Of course there are many underlying issues. Farming, restrictive croping and pesticdes and general cutting and changes in farming must have influenced wildlife habitate. What will change, well govermennt will still build, not encourage change in farming practice. So as we wait we hold our breath and die.

Sad to see.

 From the garden: There are some things that are not understood about many of the things about us. In fact the more you see. the more you realise how little we realy know. In fact we never stop learning. So as for this STARLING I assume it is on it's last legs. Bird flue, botulism or a mental blackout. who can tell but it's activite was more than strange. I exspect that by now it has demised, but I fed it some maggots and it eat well. Flew of a few meters and came back again to feed three times. Unable to stand and lying as if it was sun bathing or eating ants. But none of these applied. So no easy answares. But as always "I done what I could".

To the ridicules.

 Once asked why do you watch birds. My reply I just like them. So after the RFF we come down to earth with a bump. Or is it a ball of fluff. No it's a HOUSE SPARROW.

The sublime

 It seems that this bird had taken up residence last Friday and had been miss identified. But not for long as it turned out to be a juvenile  RED FOOTED FALCON. To have such a bird so close to home is a gift but I made a decision that I would leave it till today as it is my birthday. So a call in was no disappointment. Of course this is no were near my first, not even for juvenile. But what a lovely bird to photograph. So I apologise for so many pic's.

 

Links Hill

 Call in with my mate and after weeks of no rain Links Hill car park had small pools of water. Earlier today a LITTLE GULL was seen North of Ness Point. So no surprise on arrival that the bird sat in a puddle. The bird would not look at me, perhaps there was something wrong with me. But evemtually it obliged. There was also 7 SANDWICH TERNS with one young bird being fed. Also a single MED GULL flew in but did not land. 

New visitor to the garden.

 Nature has a way of always giving and it happened again today. With the first ever SMALL COPPER which stayed long enough to get more than one pic. Which is unusual. It seemed to like my beetroot.